The List: 28 Sep 1990 (Issue 132)

I The Inn on the Hill Pentlands Skyline Hill Race Hillcnd Ski Slope. Edinburgh. 11am—2pm. The final ofthe Scottish Championships series of six hill races. John Wilkinson heads the pack at the moment and needs finish only in the top ten to take the Championship. However. a very strong field from Scotland and England is expected to turn out for this gruelling sixteen mile race over the Pcntlands.

Glasgow

I Shawlield Stadium Rutherglen Road. Greyhound racing takes place five nights a week and what better way to spend an evening than backing the odd dog. Mondays ( 1t) races).Tuesdays ( I 1 races). Thursdays ( 11 races). Fridays ( ltlraces). Saturdays ( 12 races). First race at 7.45pm every evening except Saturday. when they get out of their traps at 7.30pm.

I Dunfermline v Hibs [East Iind I’ark. Halbeth Road. Dunfermline. 3pm. After the trials and tribulations at both clubs over the summer. a quiet afternoon on the park would be the perfect way to forget their woes. Unfortunately. like a sweating Irishman. they're both desperate fora point or two.

I Hearts v Dundee Utd 'I'ynecastle I’ark. (iorgie Road. Edinburgh. 3pm. The dour encounters of yesteryear may be behind these two sides. what with the form of McLean‘s Babes and the recent purple patch enjoyed by the equally underdeveloped John Robertson.

I Hangers V Motherwell lbrox Stadium. Glasgow. 3pm. The Motherwell team has been unfairly summed up as ‘null and Boyd'. although this will be adefinite home win on most coupons.

I St Mirren v Celtic Love Street. Paisley 3pm. The fixture that spawnedJock Brown‘s immortal 'It really isa Jamboree.‘ seems unlikely to produce the kind of football that had the bard ofthe airwaves comparing (‘eltic's goalscoring spree to an international gatheringof scouts.

In recent years, Scottish clubs have tripped over the starting blocks in the race for European glory. This year however, it seems likely thatthey will all at least clearthe first hurdle. Hearts, now with Jordan at the helm, faced the toughest test in the first round, first leg. Consequently theirl-t draw with the variously spelt Dnepropetrovsk, in the Ukraine, earned them the most kudos. Meanwhile, his managerial counterparts at Tannadice, Pittodrie and lbrox are breathing more easily after watching their sides canter to easy wins over less than second-rate opposition.

So, the debate over how well our football, instilled bythe fearsomer competitive and tiresomer repetitive Premier League, stands up to the European ‘window test’ has been shelved. But onlytemporarily. Now that the ‘passion players’ seem to have been given strong support from the stirring (surprising is nearerthe mark) victory over Romania this month, should we just accept that the gung-ho guts and glory style is our natural bent and stop pussyfooting around with more complex tactics? An appealing notion to many, those who criticise Roxburgh for being ‘over-elaborate‘ among them. The pitfalls of such a

course are obvious. We should only be able to produce kick and rush teams that would eventually push us to the periphery of European football.

Now is the era to become suave, sophisticated and ultra European, if not in playing style then at least in outlook. Surprisingly, the SEA, not known for their support of modern ideas, among the first actually to realise the huge potential of deregulated TV. They sold the rights to the Scotland-France World Cup qualifier last yearto Canale 5 for a cool £800,000. These days teams who fail to get in on the highly lucrative European merry-go-round will soon slip by the wayside. Thanks to the pioneering work of Silvio Berlusconi in Italy, huge purses are available in return for the rights to

screen one European fixture — previously these rights would be signed away for chicken-feed in blanket coverage contracts by the football authorities.

As Bernard Tapi of Marseilles and David Murray ol Rangers start to whinge about howtheirtime and money are being wasted tackling the Euro small-fry, Scottish teams should make sure they can clear more than one hurdle before they start complaining thatthe leap didn‘t take anything out of them. Otherwise we may find ourselves out of the race altogether. (RP)

I Hamilton V Brechin City Douglas I’ark. Hamilton. 3pm. The proud boast ofmanv a Brechin Ioon that: "I‘here's onlyone ' team in Angus.‘ is hard to disprove. now that they are up in the First and surviving. I Morton v Partick Thistle (‘appielow Park. (ireenock. 3pm.

SECOND DIVISION

I Albion Rovers v Stranraert‘liftonhill. ('oatbridge. 3pm.

I Alloa Athletic v Stirling Albion Recreation Park. Alloa. 3pm.

I Cowdenbeath v Queen of the South (‘entral Park. ('owdenbeath. 3pm.

I Dumbarton v Queen's Park Bogltead. Dumbarton. 3pm.

I East Fife V Arbroath Bayview I’ark. Methil. I’ife. 3pm.

Tuesday 2

European Cup

I Hangers v Valetta lbrox Stadium. (ilasgow. 8pm. £650.14. While Rangers are unlikely to better their previous score against the visitors ( 18—0. on aggregate) if they don't tank them convincingly then Souness‘s anger will know no bounds. Also to be screened live on BSB. if youean find anywhere that receives it.

Wednesday 3

UEFA Cup

I Heartsv Dnepf'l'ynecastle I’ark. (iorgie Road. Edinburgh. 7.30pm. (iround £5. Iinelosure it). (Tentre Stand £8. After a great result in the away leg in the I ’kraine and even with Joe Jordan at the helm. Hearts still have the toughest task ofall the Scottish clubs in Iiurope.

cover themselves in some sort of glory after not taking part in the Iiuropean tics in midweek. ('eltic will be going all out for a hatful this allernoon.

I Dundee Utd v Dunlermline 'l annadlce I’ark.'I'annadice Street. Dundee 3pm. Rangers and Aberdeen's day of reckoning up north will give I'ntted a great chance to

steal a point or two on their top of the table .

rivals.

I Hibernian v St Mirren Iiaster Road Stadium. Albion Road. Izdinbui'glt. 3pm. I libs fans can currently be seen reading newspapers upside down. that way their league position is rev ersed.

I Motherwell v Hearts t-‘ir I’ark. .‘vlotherwell. 3pm. Mercer will be patting himselfon the back for quite some time over the acquisition of Jordan. Although. as he will discos er. the game here has changed a lot since he left.